Tennessee basketball’s 2024-25 backcourt is going to team up again, this time as professionals.
With Chaz Lanier drafted by the Detroit Pistons with the No. 37 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and Zakai Zeigler named to the franchise’s Summer League roster, the duo will share the court again this July. Beginning on Friday, the pair will play in at least five games together in Las Vegas against other young prospects and draft picks.
Game one is set for July 11 at 6 p.m. ET against the Knicks. It will air on ESPN+ and on NBA TV. As the only draft pick for the Pistons this year, it is likely, but not guaranteed, that Lanier will start. It is yet to be determined how much he or Zeigler will play, though.
The second matchup is against the Rockets on July 13. That matchup will air at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+. This pits Zeigler against his former freshman point guard tandem at Tennessee, Kennedy Chandler.
Game three will be on July 15 vs. the Timberwolves at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and NBA TV. Game four is scheduled for July 17 at 4 p.m. ET against the Heat on ESPN+/NBA TV. After this stretch, the top four teams will advance to the playoffs. Every team not in the playoffs is guaranteed a consultation game yet to be determined, as well.
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Lanier spent just one season in Knoxville, but made the most of it. He set a new program record for 3-pointers made in a season with 123. This was the sixth-most made in SEC history, too. His 38 games started were also a tie for the most in a single season by a Vol.
He averaged 18 points per game on the season on 43.1% shooting from the field and 39.5% on 3-pointers. This percentage from range was the eighth-best in a single season in program history with a minimum of 200 attempts. His 3.24 threes made per game were also the second-most in school history.
Zeigler was a four-year star for Tennessee. By the end of his senior year, he had put together one of the best careers in UT history. His awards include Second-Team All-American, SEC Defensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-SEC and SEC All-Tournament team nods just in his senior season.
In his final year, Zeigler averaged 13.6 points per game on 40.4% shooting from the field and 32.2% on threes. He also produced 7.4 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals per outing. His career marks of 747 assists and 251 steals are both Tennessee records.
